Procter & Gamble Attempt To Lure In Millennials

Unusual marketing techniques are often employed to get people's attention.  Consumers, who are often inundated with advertisements, are more likely to remember something surprising and unusual and as a result the product or service is more likely to make an impression. For a brand, unusual marketing techniques can increase sales and levels of recognition amongst consumers.

Procter & Gamble, the American consumer goods corporation and the company behind well-known household brands such as Olay, Febreze and Oral-B, has recognised a lucrative consumer group who's spending habits are expected to rise to £1.09 trillion by 2020 in the US alone. This consumer group is none other than Generation Y, or the millennials. For those that may not know what a millennial is, the dictionary tells us that this is a person reaching young adult in the early 21st century and so, by that definition, this puts any adult under the age of 35 in that category.

In an attempt to reach out to this lucrative consumer group, Procter & Gamble is planning on using well known text acronyms on its products that have become synonymous with the way in which millennials converse over text. It has been reported that Procter & Gamble has applied to trade mark the acronyms 'LOL' and 'WTF' (the former standing for 'laugh out loud' and the latter perhaps too crass to spell out) as applied to household products such as detergents and air fresheners.

In its attempt at trade marking these acronyms, Procter & Gamble are hoping to lure in under 35's who may be surprised to see slang on the packaging of a product in a supermarket.  Procter & Gamble hope this strategy will help them to win over the younger crowd who may feel a sense of affiliation with the brand and the marks.

The trade mark applications have not yet been approved but if they are, we may be seeing this unusual brand strategy play out in our supermarkets.

If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniel & Co. on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.